Christmas in Great Britain

Great Britain doesn't have a national holiday - the

British people do not have Bastille Day, Independence
Day, Founder's Day: instead they have Christmas.
   Christmas in Great Britain is the biggest party season
of the year. Christmas Day itself, the start of the great
holiday period, is the one day in the year on which the
head of state - the Queen - speaks to the nation. Christmas
Day is the high point of a festive period that lasts at least
two days, but depending on the calendar, can become a
holiday period of up to nine days, and one which people
have been getting ready for for up to two months.
The Advent Calendar and The Advent candle
Advent (known as The Four Sundays Before
Christmas) is not widely celebrated in England,
its celebration actually originated in Germany,
although in the church calendar Advent is the
official start of the run up to Christmas.
Two traditions that have caught on in England
are the Advent calendar and the Advent candle.
The Advent Calendar originated in the 19th
Century from the protestant area of Germany.
Protestant Christian families made a chalk line
for every day in December until Christmas Eve.
Before long, commercial entrepreneurs started
replacing the ephemeral chalk lines with printed
calendars. The first known Advent Calendar is
the advent calendar of 1851. Nowadays it is
usually a thin rectangular card with 24 or 25
doors. The doors are numbered from 1 to 24 or
25. Door number 1 is opened on the 1st of
December, door 2 on the 2nd of December and
so on . Behind each door there is a Christmas
scene (but the most popular ones have a
chocolate behind each door) .
The Advent Calendar and Advent candle
An Advent candle often has 25
marks on it, a bit of the candle is burned
down by one mark each day. In some
homes, 24 candles are kept, one for
each night from December 1 through
Christmas Eve. One candle is lit for a
while on December 1, then a new
candle is added each day for the 24 day
period. However, it is now more
common to have four candles for the
four weeks before Christmas. One
candle is lit on the first Sunday, two the
second week and so on. The candles
were often placed on a wreath upon the
dining room table. Advent candles are
lit in many homes, schools and
churches, in England, with a final
central candle lit on Christmas Day;
these are often on a hanging decoration
known as an "Advent Crown.”
 Christmas Eve - December 24th
In England less emphasis is placed on Christmas Eve than in other countries, much more is made of
Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Carol singing, midnight church services and going out to the pub are some
of the activities that many families enjoy (sometimes all three activities can be combined into one fun night
out!).
Night time on Christmas Eve though is a very exciting time for young children. It is the time when
Father Christmas comes. They hang up their stockings and go to sleep. Santa and his elves make all the
toys for Christmas in his home at the Noth Pole . On Christmas Eve he piles all of the toys onto his sleigh
and rides across the sky with his 9 reindeer (Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner,
Blitzen and of course Rudolf!). The most famous one is Rudolf the one who is always at the front, to lead
the way with his red nose. In the morning when the children wake up they open their stocking presents.
Traditionally on Christmas Eve mince pies and milk or sherry are left out for Santa and nowadays carrots
are left for his reindeer. Most children are in bed way before midnight waiting for Santa to visit them .
 Christmas Day

The origins of the now traditional Christmas Celebration, distinct from earlier
pagan winter holidays, date to sixth century England. By the middle ages, it
was a well established important holiday, with traditional pageantry, customs,
music and feasting all its own. Customs from pre Christian days were
incorporated into the Celebrations, and many still remain.
However in 1647, the English parliament passed a law that made Christmas
illegal, all festivities were banned by the Puritan leader Oliver Cromwell, who
considered feasting and revelry on what was supposed to be a holy day to be
immoral. The ban was lifted only when Cromwell lost power in 1660.
In Britain, the Holy Days and Fasting Days Act of 1551 (which has not yet
been repealed) states that every citizen must attend a Christian church service
on Christmas Day, and must not use any kind of vehicle to get to the service.
Later, during Queen Victoria's reign, Christmas became a time for gift giving,
and a special season for children.
 Traditional Activities
on Christmas Day in Britain
• Church Services-Many Christians will go
to church to sing carols and to celebrate
the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day. More
people attend the church on this day than
any other day of the year. People put on
their best clothes to go to church.
• Stocking Presents-Many children wake up
on Christmas day to find a stocking at the
end of their bed which is filled with
presents from Father Christmas. Children
typically wake up very early-after
having little sleep for trying to sneak a
peek of the man himself- and will open
these presents straight away.
• Main Presents-Main presents are put under
the Christmas tree and typically are
opened either late morning or during the
afternoon with all of the family gathered
around the tree.
 Traditional Activities
on Christmas Day in Britain
The Christmas Dinner

In the past some very strange things were eaten around Christmas. At lavish Christmas feasts
in the Middle Ages, swans and peacocks were sometimes served "endored". The flesh was
painted with saffron dissolved in melted butter and the birds were served wrapped in their
own skin and feathers, which had been removed and set aside prior to roasting.
Around Victorian times another traditional Christmas feast was roasted goose or roasted
turkey. In Victorian times, most Londoners would have been familiar with the "goose club",
which was a method of saving to buy a goose for Christmas. Goose clubs were popular with
working-class Londoners, who paid a few pence a week towards the purchase of a Christmas
goose. The week before Christmas, London meat markets were crammed with geese and
turkeys, many imported from Germany and France, although some were raised in Norfolk,
and taken to market in London. The birds were walked from Norfolk to the markets in
London, to protect their feet the turkeys were dressed in boots made of sacking or leather and
geese had their feet protected with a covering of tar. The traditional Christmas goose was
featured in Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'.
 Traditional Food
on Christmas Day in Britain
The Christmas Dinner
Christmas dinner -Nowadays, if you sit down
with a typical British family on Christmas
day, the starter is probably going to be prawns
or smoked salmon. The main course is more
than likely to be turkey, often free-range and
the bigger the better, although goose has been
making a bit of a comeback, and for the
vegetarian in the family (there's always one) a
nut roast, this is normally served with potatoes
(roasted, boiled, mashed, or maybe all three),
vegetables (including the devil's vegetable,the
brussel sprouts) roasted parsnips, and stuffing
with gravy and bread sauce. This is usually
followed by Christmas pudding, a rich dark
pudding made with all sorts of dried fruits,
nuts, spices, black treacle and lots of brandy
butter or mince pies (sweet pies filled with a
mixture of dried fruits and spices).
 Traditional Activities
on Christmas Day in Britain
• The Christmas Crackers and
Christmas Crowns - When people
set the table they will normally
place a Christmas cracker next to
each plate. Two people pull the
cracker which releases a loud snap
and several items fall out. These
include a colourful paper crown, a
toy or gift and a joke.The Christmas
Crown are wearn by the British
people during the Christmas
Dinner.The tradition of wearing
festive hats is believed to date back
to Roman times and Saturnalia
celebrations, but modern Christmas
crackers date back to the 1800s.
 Traditional Activities
on Christmas Day in Britain
• The Queen's Message-One Christmas ritual
not drawn from an ancient tradition is the
British monarch's broadcast on Christmas
day. The tradition began in 1932 when King
George V read a special speech written by
Rudyard Kipling. The broadcast was an
enormous success .Queen Elizabeth II
continues the tradition to this day. Every
year she broadcasts her message on
Christmas Day, and it is heard by millions of
people all over the world. In England most
people watch or listen to it whilst digesting
their Christmas Dinner.
• Christmas tea – It usually rolls around 6pm
and it is round two of a sit down with family
and treats. Pretty much, any proper English
event involves tea. Mince pies or sausage
rolls might accompany the tea party.
 Traditional Activities
on Christmas Day in Britain
• Christmas carols- They have their roots in medieval England, when minstrels traveled from
castle to castle, today they would be called carollers. In addition poor people in England
would go wassailing, they would bring their mugs to the door of rich houses hoping for a
share of the wassail bowl. The drink in the bowl was called lambswool. It was a brew of hot
ale with sugar, eggs, spices and roast apples floating in it. Today carollers generally collect
money for charity. The 'Round Table' in England often sends a big sleigh with a Christmas tree
and people singing and playing carols around the cities and towns of England. In Wales, each
village may have several choirs which rehearse well in advance of the holidays and then go
carolling collecting money for charity.
• Nativity plays- At Christmas time, it is traditional for Primary schools in Britain, to put on a
Nativity play. The Nativity Play recreates the scene of Jesus’ birth in the stable and tells of
how Mary and Joseph were visited by the Shepherds and Wise Men. The parts of Mary,
Joseph, the Shepherds and the Wise Men are played by the children.
 A Strange but Very Interesting Christmas
Tradition in Great Britain
The Wishbone
Chickens and turkeys contain an y-
shaped bone known as the furcula ,
more commonly it is referred to as the
wishbone. Traditionally this is removed
from the carcass of the roasted bird, and
dried out. It is then given to two people
(usually children), who have to hook
their little finger round an end each and
pull it apart until it breaks, whilst
making a wish. The person who gets the
"bigger half" of the wishbone will have
his or her wish "come true." Of course,
in the great tradition of making wishes,
you mustn't tell anyone what you
wished for, or it won't come true.
 The Christmas Tree
The tradition of the Christmas trees is an ancient tradition that goes
back a long way in time.  It probably originated in pagan rites to celebrate
the survival of nature in winter. The modern tradition began in Germany,
from where it spread throughout the Christian world, and in particular in
Protestant countries, in the 18th and especially the 19th century. The
tradition reached England in the 19th century, promoted by Prince Albert,
the German husband of Queen Victoria.It then spread  quickly to the point
at which decorated Christmas trees have now become  the classic symbol
of Christmas - even more so than Nativity scenes. For most people in UK,
Christmas would not be Christmas without the presence in the house of a
tree (real or artificial). Every city, every village, every neighborhood, every
pub, every department store, and many small shops, too, has its beautifully
decorated tree. In London, the huge Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square is
given each year to the city by Norway, in a tradition that began in 1947.
 The Mistletoe
• Mistletoe was considered sacred by the people of ancient Britain. The Druid
priests used it in their sacrifices to the gods.It was believed to have magical
properties. People who met under a tree bearing mistletoe were forbidden to
fight, even if they were enemies, and anyone who entered a home decorated
with mistletoe was entitled to shelter and protection. Mistletoe may even have
been part of Druidic wedding ceremonies. The Celtic people believed it had
miraculous healing powers. In fact the name for mistletoe in the Celtic
languages is all heal. mistletoe could cure diseases, render poisons harmless,
make humans and animals fertile, protect the house from ghosts and bring good
luck.
• The mistletoe's kissing tradition, according to one account, comes from the
Norse myths. Friga, one of the gods, gave her son, Balda, a charm of mistletoe
to protect him from the elements, but because mistletoe grows neither from the
water or the earth, nor from fire nor air, it grows on trees, it held the power to
harm Balda. One of the other god's arrows made of mistletoe struck Bolda
down, and his mother cried tears of white berries. She brought her son back to
life, and vowed to kiss anyone who rested beneath the plant.
 Boxing Day
In England Boxing Day celebrated on December 26th, is
traditionally a time to give gifts to tradesmen, servants, and
friends.
It originated in medieval times, when every priest was supposed
to empty the alms box of his church and distribute gifts to the
poor. Wealthy people indulged in huge Christmas feasts, and
when they were finished, packed up the remains of feasts in
boxes and gave them out to their servants. It didn't become
widely celebrated though until Victorian England.
Nowdays , Boxing Day is a nationally recognized holiday in the
UK, also called a bank holiday. It’s similar to Black Friday in
the U.S.
 Fun Facts about Christmas in
Great Britain
• In Great Britain children write their letters to Father Christmas and then throw
them into the fireplace so they will float up the chimney and fly to the North
Pole. If the lists catch fire first, they have to rewrite them.
• British people say that you need to take your decorations down within 12 days
of Christmas or you will have bad luck for the next year
• In UK people say ” Happy Christmas!” instead of “Merry Christmas !”
• In 1647, the Puritan-led English Parliament banned the celebration of
Christmas, replacing it with a day of fasting and considering it "a popish festival
with no biblical justification", and a time of wasteful and immoral behaviour.
• The British Christmas tradition of sending cards dates all the back to 1843. At
the time, a gentleman named Sir Henry Cole didn’t have time to send personal
messages, so he hired an artist called John Calcott Horsley to design him a card
which he could send to lots of people, and that’s how Christmas cards were
born.Today, over a BILLION cards are sent every year in Great Britain alone
which is staggering.
Thank you for your attention !